Michigan schools are invited to participate in the 2019 Aquaculture Challenge program. The aquaculture challenge is a science and business competition in which teams of students design and create an aquaponics system. The competition is composed of three parts, including: 1) Designing and creating a system, 2) Monitoring the system, and 3) Creating a business plan to accompany the system.
Student teams are provided a free Arduino control board and probes as well as a water chemistry monitoring kit. Student teams provide their own equipment to create the aquaponics system. This program is sponsored and run through Lake Superior State University and Michigan Sea Grant.
The registration deadline for this year is January 30, 2019 (*NOTE: Deadline extended from January 19). There is also an optional open house where students can visit Lake Superior State on January 24 (*NOTE: Event moved from January 11). The competition then runs through the end of March. Student teams must submit three videos showcasing their accomplishments, as well as supporting materials, by April 8. A virtual awards ceremony will be held April 11. These dates and an overview of the competition can be found here. The team rules manual with detailed information about the competition is here.
Registering a team is free and easy. Simply click here and fill out the required information. Teams can work on the competition as part of a class or as an after-school activity. Multiple teams can register per school, and teams can also register as part of a club or other academic-related organization.
Additional information about this competition and aquaculture in the classroom can be found at www.ncrac-yea.org
